616 
FORE ST AND STREAM 
December, 1917 
G. H. G., East Lynn, Mass.: 
I have an old fashioned double-barrel 
gun, 13/16 in. bore at the muzzle with 
28 in. barrel. On the lock plates appears 
the name Manton and on the rib between 
the two barrels is the word London. The 
metal fittings show traces of engraving. 
The stock is of black walnut with check¬ 
ered grip. The workmanship throughout 
is excellent. The weight of the weapon is 
about 13 pounds. Can you give me an ap¬ 
proximation of its value ? It has been in 
the family a long time. 
Ans.—It is impossible to give a very ac¬ 
curate opinion of your gun without hav¬ 
ing examined it, but in a general way I 
should say that the weapon was made 
about 1850. Manton died in 1835. The 
percussion principle did not come into gen¬ 
eral use for ten years after his death. 
The name of Manton was extensively cop¬ 
ied on locks and gun furniture, but his full 
name and street number appear on all 
that passed through his shops. Manton 
made his reputation with guns of from 18 
to 22 bore; few of his guns are larger than 
14 gauge. Your gun is an 8 bore and the 
barrels have likely been cut off. The fact 
that the stock is of black walnut indicates 
that it was made in this country, the bar¬ 
rels and locks having been shipped over. 
We do not think the gun has any particu¬ 
lar value. 
E. O. D, Elyria, O.: 
Do you consider the Stevens No. 404 
Target Rifle in any way superior to the 
Winchester Musket in regard to accuracy 
shooting .22 long rifle cartridges? Which 
rifle would you advise? 
Ans.—So far as the accuracy of these 
guns is concerned there is no difference 
between them. The Winchester Musket is 
in every way as accurate as. the Stevens 
and is a very highly finished arm. You 
will not go wrong with either of these 
guns; both are reliable. 
S. B. P., Oswego, N. Y.: 
I would be very glad to have your ad¬ 
vice on sighting a Sauer Mauser rifle for 
failing eyesight which will no longer focus 
the notch in the rear sight, especially if 
the light is poor as it is apt to be. I can, 
of course, use glasses, but they are a 
nuisance in the woods, and furthermore, 
impair my vision for distances. I have an 
idea that a peepsight as close as possible 
to the eye would help out, but I know of 
none that can be used on the Mauser. 
Ans.—In a case such as yours glasses 
would be of very little assistance for the 
reason that it is impossible even for the 
young eye to focus clearly on two distinct 
points at one time, and glasses add to this 
difficulty and do not afford relief. The 
This department is at the service 
of the readers of Forest and 
Stream, who are requested to 
write queries plainly on one side 
of the sheet only. If a reply is 
desihed by mail a self-addressed 
envelope should he enclosed. 
proper sight for you to use is the Lyman 
Patent Receiver Sight No. 35. It will have 
to be used in connection with a special 
height front sight which they can supply 
you. In using these sights it is highly im¬ 
portant that you remove the middle sight. 
With this Lyman peep the barrel rear sight 
is worse than useless and its presence will 
increase your difficulties. 
“K. Kauffer”: 
Will you kindly answer through your 
columns whether I can use a regular rifle 
shooting left just as anybody else shooting 
right? My right eye is defective and I 
am left-handed. Do I need a special rifle 
made to order? Also which is the best 
rifle made for hunting for bigger game in 
Maine or Nova Scotia? 
Ans.—You do not need a special rifle to 
shoot from the left shoulder. The .32 or 
the .35 are both good rifles. Personally 
we feel sure that the .30-30 is large enough 
for any game that you will meet in the 
section you mention. It is a splendidly bal¬ 
anced load and very accurate. If sports¬ 
men would put in more time learning to 
shoot and not try for such great shocking 
power, it would be better all around. 
T. M. A., Tuscumbia, Ala.: 
I want a gun to fit me. Can you tell me 
how to get it, and the cost of information? 
Ans.—If you are in New York any time 
we will be glad to adjust a try-gun to your 
measurements and see that you are prop¬ 
erly fitted. There is no expense connected 
with the work. It is impossible, however, 
to advise you without seeing you handle 
a gun. 
C. G. L., Ann Arbor, Mich.: 
Within a few months I intend to go to 
the Western Coast of South America and 
at times I shall have opportunity for hunt¬ 
ing. In the section where I expect to lo¬ 
cate the game consists mostly of quail, 
rabbits, and other small game. What 
gauge shotgun would you advise me to 
get? I have heard so many arguments for 
and against the 20 gauge that I would like 
your opinion. 
Will you also explain to me the mean¬ 
ing of the term full choke, half choke and 
cylinder bore when applied to shotguns? 
Would it be possible to use a shotgun, 
such as you decide would be best for me, 
for shooting deer if occasion presented? 
Ans.—You will find the 20 gauge a per¬ 
fectly reliable weapon for quail, ducks, rab¬ 
bits, squirrels, and other small game. It 
is the gun our Mr. Akeley has carried on 
all of his African trips, with complete sat¬ 
isfaction. 
A cylinder gun is one in which the bar- 
1 els are the same size inside from breech 
to muzzle. In a modified choke the barrel 
is a trifle smaller at the muzzle, the idea 
being to hold the shot in a smaller circle 
—that is, so they will not scatter so much. 
A full choke has this feature more pro¬ 
nounced and shoots closer than a modified 
choke. You can shoot a solid ball from 
the cylinder gun with considerable accuracy 
up to 100 yards; beyond that distance it is 
not accurate. This would enable you to 
shoot deer. You cannot shoot a solid ball 
from a modified choke or a choke gun as 
there would be danger of it blowing off, 
splitting or bulging the barrel. 
F. P. M., Chicago, Ill.: 
I would like to build a cabin in Mar¬ 
quette or some other county of the upper 
Michigan peninsula. How can I get per¬ 
mission to do so, that is, should I apply 
to State or county authorities? I would 
like a cabin such as described in the No¬ 
vember Forest and Stream if it could be 
successfully heated in winter. How is that 
region for deer and game birds? What 
game fish may be caught around there? I 
will appreciate an answer through your 
columns at the earliest opportunity. 
Ans.—It will be necessary for you to 
apply to both the State and county authori¬ 
ties. In the Northern peninsula of Michi¬ 
gan you can find deer, bear, and many of 
the smaller game and fur-bearing animals. 
There are trout in the streams and bass 
in the lakes. It would be impractical to 
heat the cabin illustrated in the November 
issue as the winters are severe. In this 
issue we publish plans of a cabin that you 
can live in comfortably the year round. 
Plans of camps and cabins will be pub¬ 
lished in coming issues. 
O. C. K., So. Bethlehem, Pa.: 
Kindly inform me whether there is a 
breed of Setter dogs known as American 
Setters. 
Ans.—There is no breed recognized by 
the American Kennel Club or any other 
organization as American Setters. Thirty 
or forty years ago there were several fam¬ 
ilies or strains of setters, such as the 
Ethan Allens and the Gildersleves, that 
were classified as Native Setters. These 
gradually disappeared with the importa¬ 
tions of various strains of setters from 
England and the continent, until today we 
have recognized only the English, the Irish, 
and the Gordon Setter. Of these the Eng¬ 
lish is the most popular, and the most im¬ 
portant family is the Llewellyn. 
C. L. J., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.: 
What is the best tackle and bait for fish¬ 
ing through the ice? 
Ans.—A comprehensive article on Ice 
Fishing will appear in the January issue. 
